RIDGECREST 

PAST    -    PRESENT    -  FUTURE 


BERNARD  W.  SPILMAN 


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was 


PAST    -    PRESENT    -  FUTURE 

by 

Bernard  W.  Spilman 

Kinston,  N.  C. 

President,  Southern  Baptist  Assembly 
Field  Secretary,  Sunday  School  Board, 
Southern  Baptist  Convention 


with  foreword  by 
C.  Sylvester  Green 
Watts  Street  Baptist  Church 
Durham,  N.  C. 


Published  at 
Ridgecrest,  N.  C. 
by  the  stockholders  of  the 
SOUTHERN  BAPTIST  ASSEMBLY 
1928 


v 


Foreword 


At  the  instigation  of  interested  friends  of  the  Southern  Baptist 
Assembly,  this  little  booklet  is  being  presented  in  print.  It  repre- 
sents the  address  delivered  by  Rev.  Bernard  W.  Spilman,  D.  D.,  as 
president  to  the  annual  meeting  of  the  stockholders  of  the  Assem- 
bly, held  in  the  Assembly  Auditorium  at  Ridgecrest,  North  Carolina, 
Thursday,  August  16,  1928.  The  publication  is  made  possible  by  a 
fund  subscribed  entirely  by  members  of  the  stockholders  group,  and 
others  attending  the  1928  session  of  the  Assembly. 

Two  purposes  have  been  uppermost  in  the  minds  of  all  of  us  in 
the  preparation  and  presentation  of  this  address:  that  this  message — 
which  is  more  than  an  address — may  be  preserved  in  permanent  form 
for  the  sympathetic  and  intelligent  record  it  makes  of  the  beginnings 
and  hopes  and  prayers  of  this  Southern  Baptist  Assembly,  and  much 
of  the  personality  of  the  speaker  is  to  be  read  through  the  various 
references  and  forms  preserved  in  as  far  as  possible  as  spoken;  and, 
that  its  distribution  in  this  form  may  encourage  all  of  those  actively 
connected  with  our  denominational  work,  and  others  throughout  the 
country,  to  read  it,  to  know  more  about  Ridgecrest,  to  pray  for  its 
success,  and  to  assure  Ridgecrest  a  permanent  place  in  the  hearts 
and  love  of  Southern  Baptists  particularly,  and  Christian  people  ev- 
erywhere. 

To  this  address  is  appended  for  general  information  a  synopsis 
and  personnel  of  the  program  of  the  assembly  for  this  season. 

C.  Sylvester  Green 
Associate  Platform  Manager 
for  Season  of  1928 

Ridgecrest,  N.  C. 
August  23,  1928 


VI 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 

Page 

Foreword   VI 

PRESIDENT'S  ADDRESS 

A  Bit  of  History   1 

James  H.  Tucker   1 

A  Stock  Company   2 

The  Financial  Side  .   3 

The  Crisis  of  1914   4 

The  Education  Board    6 

What  Has  Been  Accomplished   7 

Those  Values  Eternal   9 

Accounting  Results   10 

What  of  Tomorrow?   11 

Still  Looking  Ahead   16 

A  Final  Word   18 

THE  SEASON  OF  1928 

Schools   19 

Conferences  -   20 

Personnel    20 

Attendance    22 

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Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2014 


https://archive.org/details/ridgecrestpastprOOspil 


PRESIDENT'S  ADDRESS 


A  BIT  OF  HISTORY 

After  several  years  of  discussion  on  the  part  of  a  number  of  peo- 
ple interested  in  the  establishment  of  an  assembly  ground  for  South- 
ern Baptists  a  group  of  brethren,  upon  invitation  of  Mr.  James  H. 
Tucker,  of  Asheville,  went  with  him  on  August  4,  1906,  to  the 
Swannanoa  Gap  east  of  Asheville  to  look  at  the  land  which  is  now 
Ridgecrest. 

It  was  decided  by  this  group  to  get  options  on  this  land  and  see  if 
we  could  not  organize  an  Assembly  for  Southern  Baptists  which 
would  be  the  equal  of  any  assembly  in  the  world.  Your  president 
introduced  into  the  Baptist  State  Convention  of  North  Carolina  a 
resolution  in  the  session  of  1906  meeting  in  Greensboro  creating 
a  committee  to  take  this  matter  into  consideration. 

Entering  into  correspondence  and  by  personal  visits  to  many  in 
other  states  it  seemed  that  the  time  was  at  hand  for  such  a  move. 
Accordingly  without  waiting  for  any  further  action  by  the  North 
Carolina  Baptist  State  Convention  and  without  reporting  to  that 
Convention  the  committee  secured  a  charter  from  the  general  as- 
sembly of  North  Carolina  in  March,  1907.  In  Richmond  at  the 
meeting  of  the  Southern  Baptist  Convention  a  resolution  was  adopt- 
ed endorsing  the  movement.  The  land  was  purchased  and  surveyed 
and  laid  off  as  it  now  appears  on  the  maps  of  Ridgecrest. 

In  the  summer  of  1907  the  committee  in  charge  of  the  work  asked 
that  I  take  the  leadership  in  the  matter  by  becoming  General  Man- 
ager, which  position  afterwards  was  merged  into  that  of  General 
Secretary.  I  accepted  the  position  and  entered  upon  the  duties  Sept- 
ember 1,  1907. 

JAMES  H.  TUCKER 

Although  this  is  not  a  complete  history  of  Ridgecrest,  while  we 
are  thinking  for  while  of  the  beginnings  may  I  pause  to  pay  a  tribute 
to  a  man  whose  name  is  likely  to  be  forgotten.  Mr.  James  H. 
Tucker,  Superintendent  of  the  Sunday  School  of  the  First  Baptist 
Church  of  Asheville,  eminent  lawyer  with  a  large  and  lucrative 
practice,  gave  his  time  and  thought  to  the  early  days  of  Ridgecrest 
as  no  other  man  did. 

He  selected  the  site  and  called  it  to  the  attention  of  the  commit- 
tee. He  negotiated  all  of  the  multitudinous  details  of  securing  op- 
tions on  the  land  (nine  tracts)  and  closed  the  deals  for  all  of  it. 
He  wrote  all  of  the  deeds;  worked  up  the  abstract  of  title  to  the 
property.  He  wrote  the  charter  and  secured  its  adoption  by  the 
General  Assembly  of  North  Carolina.  He  introduced  the  resolution 
in  the  Southern  Baptist  Convention  at  Richmond.  On  his  personal 
credit  he  secured  the  funds  with  which  to  begin  the  development 
of  the  property.  He  secured  the  engineers  and  had  general  charge 
of  the  work  of  surveying  and  laying  out  the  property  for  develop- 
ment.   He  was  our  first  attorney,  first  president,  first  chairman  of 


1 


the  Board  of  Directors  and  first  Chairman  of  the  Executive  Com- 
mittee. 

With  untiring  devotion  he  gave  himself  to  the  work,  his  only 
financial  compensation  being  four  building  lots  in  the  grounds.  With- 
out the  help  of  this  christian  lawyer  of  ability  and  consecration  it 
would  have  been  impossible  to  have  accomplished  what  we  did  in 
the  early  days.  He  gave  his  time,  his  legal  ability  and  his  money 
without  stint.  His  comrade  who  stood  by  and  helped  as  best  he 
could  in  the  early  days  is  glad  to  pay  this  tribute  to  his  friend 
and  helper  who  sleeps  these  years  awaiting  the  call  of  his  Lord. 

A  STOCK  COMPANY 

The  work  of  the  engineers  was  completed  in  the  early  fall  of 
1907.  An  ofHce  was  opened  in  Asheville  for  the  purpose  of  adver- 
tising and  for  the  sale  of  lots.  It  was  a  comparatively  easy  task. 
The  Baptist  people  were  ready  for  the  movement.  Lots  sold  readily 
and  funds  began  to  be  available  for  the  work.  The  charter  was  in 
hand,  the  lots  were  selling  at  the  uniform  price  of  one  hundred 
dollars  each,  each  lot  containing  as  near  as  possible  one  half  acre. 

Each  person  who  purchased  a  lot  at  the  price  of  $100  was  en- 
titled to  one  share  of  stock  in  the  grounds,  stock  being  legal  only 
for  a  Baptist.  Many  purchased  lots  who  did  not  care  for  any  stock 
and  a  few  took  stock  at  $100  per  share  who  did  not  care  for  a  lot — 
among  the  first  to  do  the  latter  was  Rev.  R.  C.  Buckner,  D.  D.,  of 
Dallas,  Texas. 

The  small  group  who  originated  the  Southern  Baptist  Assembly 
had  in  mind  the  establishment  of  an  Assembly  with  a  permanent 
home  in  the  mountains.  They  set  out  with  a  view  to  make  both 
the  Assembly  and  the  grounds  the  equal  of  any  on  the  earth. 

We  planned  that  the  grounds  should  be  the  summer  home  of  a 
congenial  colony  of  Christian  people  who  could  enjoy  the  delights 
of  the  climate  without  the  things  which  at  times  make  undesirable 
many  of  the  resorts  in  the  mountains  and  by  the  seaside.  In  order 
to  have  the  summer  sessions  of  the  Assembly  we  must  first  have  a 
place  to  meet  and  a  place  where  the  transient  visitor  might  find  a 
home.  Hence  the  first  summer,  1908,  was  spent  in  constructing 
roads,  erecting  cottages  and  clearing  the  grounds. 

It  was  the  purpose  of  the  founders  to  make  of  the  assembly  ground 
a  gathering  place  where  Baptists  might  meet  throughout  the  sum- 
mer months  to  discuss  in  a  quiet,  restful,  congenial,  spiritual  at- 
mosphere their  problems — problems  of  Missions,  Sunday  School  and 
Baptist  Young  Peoples'  Union  work,  Christian  Education,  Social 
Service,  Bible  study  and  such  other  things  as  come  within  the  realm 
of  the  thinking  and  doing  of  the  Baptist  people  as  we  attempt  to  set 
forward  the  Kingdom  of  God  on  earth. 

When,  therefore,  on  May  21,  1908,  the  organization  committee 
having  called  the  stockholders  to  meet  on  the  grounds,  the  Southern 
Baptist  Assembly  was  formally  organized  by  the  election  of  its  first 
Board  of  Directors,  it  was  done  with  the  distinct  understanding  that 


2 


the  entire  property,  grounds,  buildings,  state  franchise,  good  will, 
funds  and  all  else  were  held  not  for  private  profit  but  in  trust  for 
the  uses  of  the  Baptist  people  and  their  friends.  Later  both  the  an- 
nual stockholders'  meeting  and  the  Board  of  Directors  adopted  reso- 
lutions declaring  this  to  be  the  policy  of  the  corporation. 

In  order  to  insure  control  it  was  necessary  for  some  holding  body 
to  be  created.  Since  it  was  very  doubtful  that  any  agency  then  ex- 
isting and  selected  by  the  Southern  Baptist  Convention  would  be 
bold  enough  to  launch  such  an  enterprise  we  knew  of  no  better  way 
than  to  organize  a  corporation  with  the  safeguard  that  none  but 
Baptists  could  legally  hold  stock. 

Thus  came  into  being  the  splendid  property  which  in  due  time 
was  given  to  the  Southern  Baptists  as  represented  by  the  Southern 
Baptist  Convention  to  be  held  in  trust  for  all  time  for  the  glory 
of  God  and  the  advancement  of  His  kingdom.  Never  a  dollar  of 
dividend  was  declared  to  any  stockholder  beyond  the  lot  which  he 
secured  at  the  time  that  he  took  stock.  During  all  the  years  when 
the  property  was  held  by  the  corporation  the  owners  kept  faith  with 
the  folk  and  not  a  dollar  from  iany  source  ever  found  its  way  into 
the  pocket  of  any  stockholder  as  a  dividend  on  his  investment. 

THE  FINANCIAL  SIDE 

The  first  session  of  the  assembly  with  a  religious  program  for  the 
summer  was  held  in  1909.  That  same  summer  the  work  was  divided 
and  two  officers  were  placed  in  charge — a  General  Secretary,  who  was 
to  have  charge  of  the  legal  end  of  the  work  and  to  be  responsible 
for  the  religious  and  educational  work;  and  a  General  Manager 
who  would  have  charge  of  the  grounds  and  the  general  develop- 
ment of  the  property.  From  September  1,  1907,  to  September  1, 
1909,  your  president  had  been  both  General  Secretary  and  General 
Manager.  When  the  work  was  divided  I  became  General  Secretary 
and  held  this  position  until  the  summer  of  1920,  with  the  exception 
(if  it  may  be  called  an  exception)  of  about  thirty  days  in  the  sum- 
mer of  1915. 

The  first  General  Manager  was  Mr.  E.  L.  Hon  of  De  Land, 
Florida,  who  was  one  of  the  original  stockholders,  a  member  of  the 
first  Board  of  Directors,  who  during  the  summers  of  1908  and 
1909  had  by  his  fine  business  sense  rendered  freely  a  service  for 
which  your  president  will  be  forever  grateful.  At  the  head  of  large 
business  interests  in  Florida,  a  man  of  ability  and  devoted  to  the 
Lord's  work  he  brought  just  the  touch  to  the  business  affairs  which 
was  so  much  needed.  For  one  year  as  General  Manager  he  did  his 
work  well  and  set  forward  the  work  of  development  in  a  great  way. 

Had  the  Assembly  been  in  position  to  have  secured  his  services  for 
his  whole  time,  which  was  out  of  the  question,  we  would  probably 
have  a  million  dollars  of  equipment  and  a  million  dollars  endow- 
ment by  now. 

The  Board  of  Directors  decided  to  place  a  man  on  the  grounds 
as  General  Manager  for  his  full  time  and  Mr.  E.  F.  Mumford 


3 


was  secured.  This  not  being  a  history  it  will  not  be  possible  to 
trace  the  development  along  that  line.  Let  it  be  said  that  the  As- 
sembly has  suffered  by  the  frequent  change  of  management.  Eleven 
General  Manager  have  had  charge  of  things  these  twenty-one  years. 

From  September  1,  1909,  on,  there  were  two  Assembly  funds 
and  two  treasurers.  The  sources  of  income  for  the  fund  of  the 
General  Manager  were  the  sale  of  lots,  corporation  tax,  services 
rendered,  gifts  for  improvements.  This  fund  was  used  for  the  salary 
of  the  General  Manager,  care  of  the  grounds  and  buildings,  con- 
struction of  roads  and  all  other  matters  pertaining  to  the  grounds 
and  buildings. 

As  to  fund  of  the  General  Secretary,  he  was  also  Field  Secretary 
to  Educational  Institutions  for  the  Sunday  School  Board  of  the 
Southern  Baptist  Convention.  In  the  first  seven  months  of  the  work 
all  of  the  salary  was  paid  by  the  Assembly;  the  traveling  expenses 
all  paid  by  the  Sunday  School  Board.  Gradually  the  Sunday  School 
Board  took  the  larger  share  of  the  salary  until  at  the  latter  part  of 
the  work  the  Sunday  School  Board  paid  all  of  the  salary  it  being 
understood  that  my  work  for  the  Assembly  was  to  be  given  only 
during  the  summer  months  and  was  to  be  a  gift  to  the  work  of  the 
Baptists  through  the  Summer  sessions  of  the  Assembly;  just  as  my 
work  through  the  school  year  was  a  gift  to  the  Baptists  through  the 
educational  institutions. 

The  sources  of  income  for  this  fund  for  taking  care  of  the  summer 
programs,  advertising,  etc.,  came  from  offerings  at  the  meetings, 
from  churches  and  individuals.  In  the  earlier  years  the  Southern 
Railway  helped  the  work  by  taking  care  of  the  bills  for  advertising. 

The  fund  of  the  General  Secretary  never  showed  at  the  close  of 
the  season  a  deficit  of  a  single  cent.  The  program  was  held  strictly 
within  the  limits  of  the  funds  available. 


THE  CRISIS  OF  1914 

During  the  first  five  years  we  operated  on  the  religious,  educational 
and  business  sides  close  to  shore.  We  constructed  crude  roads;  we 
built  an  open  auditorium  to  seat  about  a  thousand  people ;  we  erected 
an  administration  building.  There  were  a  number  of  privately 
owned  cottages  and  quite  a  number  of  boarding  places,  some  of  them 
of  the  proportion  of  hotels. 

These  all  being  crowded  to  the  limit,  and  often  beyond  the  limit, 
we  soon  saw  that  if  we  were  to  develop  an  assembly  ground  worthy 
of  the  Baptist  people  we  must  make  a  beginning  for  a  hotel.  A 
loan  was  negotiated  with  the  Jefferson  Standard  Life  Insurance 
Company  of  Greensboro,  North  Carolina,  for  ten  thousand  dollars. 
With  this  the  hotel  was  begun. 

In  the  early  part  of  the  year  1914  through  the  good  offices  of 
Judge  Jeter  C.  Pritchard,  who  had  become  the  Chairman  of  the 
Board  of  Directors  and  the  staunch  friend  and  helper  of  the  Assem- 
bly to  the  day  of  his  death,  a  loan  of  $20,000  based  on  a  bond  issue 


4 


was  negotiated  with  the  Old  Dominion  Trust  Company  of  Rich- 
mond, Virginia.  On  the  basis  of  this  loan  work  was  resumed  on 
the  hotel  and  a  large  force  of  men  were  employed  under  the  per- 
sonal supervision  of  Mr.  J.  D.  Elliott  of  Hickory,  a  contractor  of 
ability  and  wealth,  a  member  of  our  Board  and  of  the  Executive 
Committee.  The  work  was  pushed  rapidly.  The  material  was 
bought  and  the  workmen  employed  on  the  basis  of  the  bond  issue. 
Mr.  Elliott  gave  his  services;  Judge  Pritchard  negotiated  the  loan 
and  instant  in  season  and  out  solicited  funds  for  the  work  from 
many  sources.  Hence  the  name  of  the  Hotel — Pritchelle  Hall, 
(Pritchard-Elliott  Hall.) 

While  the  last  finishing  touches  were  being  placed  on  the  hotel 
to  get  it  in  readiness  to  be  opened,  and  while  the  last  of  the  furni- 
ture was  being  installed  the  message  arrived  in  Ridgecrest  that  the 
world  had  caught  fire  and  the  greatest  war  in  all  time  was  on  in 
Europe.  And  I  was  at  that  moment  signing  the  bonds  which  were 
to  be  taken  by  The  Old  Dominion  Trust  Company. 

The  bonds  were  not  taken ;  the  debts  were  against  us.  We  opened 
the  hotel  early  in  August,  1914.  The  struggle  of  the  next  four 
years  to  keep  out  of  the  hands  of  the  sheriff,  if  written,  would 
read  like  a  romance. 

Rev.  Livingston  T.  Mays,  D.  D.,  became  Corresponding  Secre- 
tary of  the  Assembly  January  1,  1919.  He  at  once  put  new  life 
into  the  work.  Giving  his  entire  time  to  it  and  living  on  the 
grounds,  with  energy  and  ability  he  made  it  go  from  the  moment 
he  touched  the  work.  Great  crowds  came.  He  began  to  secure 
funds.  Some  of  the  floating  debts  were  paid  and  funds  were  coming 
in. 

Then  came  another  financial  cloud  on  the  horizon.  The  Jefferson 
Standard  Life  Insurance  Company  wished  an  immediate  settlement 
of  their  loan.  We  did  all  in  our  power  to  have  them  wait  for  us, 
since  their  fund  was  thoroughly  secured  and  perfectly  safe.  But 
the  company  could  not  see  its  way  clear  to  wait  longer.  We  were 
pulling  out  steadily  and  surely  but  we  must  put  up  ten  thousand 
dollars  immediately  or  we  would  be  thrown  into  the  hands  of  a  re- 
ceiver. 

In  Black  Mountain  there  was  a  small  bank  with  ten  thousand 
dolars  capital — the  Commonwealth  Bank  and  Trust  Company.  We 
laid  our  case  before  the  officers  of  this  bank  and  asked  if  they  were 
in  a  position  to  help  us.  The  bank  officials  said  that  they  had  or- 
ganized the  bank  for  the  purpose  of  helping  this  section.  They 
made  the  loan;  we  paid  every  dollar  to  the  Jefferson  Standard  Life 
Insurance  Company.  It  is  needless  to  say  that  the  debt  has  long 
ago  been  paid  in  full  to  this  friend  in  time  of  need. 

Subscriptions  were  coming  in — Mays  was  a  money  getter.  Just  as 
we  had  gotten  in  sight  of  the  main  road  along  came  the  Baptist 
75-Million  Campaign.  We  wished  to  keep  step  with  the  plans  of 
our  Baptist  brethren  and  while  we  did  not  belong  officially  to  the 
Southern  Baptist  Convention  at  that  time  we  did  consider  ourselves 


5 


a  part  of  the  Baptist  Movement.  We  had  subscriptions  to  our  work 
to  the  amount  of  about  forty  thousand  dollars.  A  large  part  of  this 
was  in  North  Carolina  because  this  state  had  been  solicited  more 
thoroughly  than  any  other. 

As  a  result  of  negotiations  extending  over  many  months,  it  was 
agreed  that  we  should  get  out  of  the  field,  withdraw  all  direct 
appeals  to  churches,  and  be  a  part  of  the  campaign.  In  order  to 
carry  out  the  agreement  in  good  faith  all  parties  agreed  that  The 
Southern  Baptist  Assembly  should  cancel  all  subscriptions;  that 
the  North  Carolina  Baptist  State  Convention  should  contribute 
$20,000  to  the  Assembly,  and  that  we  should  go  under  the  direction 
of  the  Education  Board  of  the  Southern  Baptist  Convention  and  re- 
ceive one  sixtieth  of  the  amount  allocated  to  that  Board  annually. 
Of  the  total  of  $75,000,000  to  be  collected  in  five  years  the 
Education  Board  was  to  receive  $3,000,000.  The  share  which 
was  to  come  to  the  Assembly  was  therefore  $10,000  annually,  or 
$50,000  for  the  entire  five  years,  a  sum  much  smaller  than  we  were 
getting  at  that  time. 

THE  EDUCATION  BOARD 

The  Southern  Baptist  Assembly  became  the  property  of  the  Edu- 
cation Board  in  1920.  The  charter  provided  that  only  five  hundred 
shares  of  stock  should  be  issued.  Already  one  share  of  stock  was 
held  by  each  of  the  Boards  of  the  Southern  Baptist  Convention: 
Home,  Foreign  and  Sunday  School  Board.  The  Education  Board 
was  given  248  shares,  thus  assuring  that  a  majority  of  the  stock 
should  be  held  by  the  Southern  Baptist  Convention.  As  a  matter 
of  fact  it  gave  the  Education  Board  the  absolute  control  of  the  As- 
sembly, since  the  full  amount  of  the  stock  had  not  been  issued. 

Later  the  Assembly  deeded  to  the  Education  Board  all  of  the 
lands,  buildings  and  every  improvement  and  turned  over  every  dol- 
lar of  funds.  It  was  the  wish  of  the  Assembly  owners  to  place  all 
of  this  valuable  property  in  the  hands  of  an  agency  which  would 
hold  it  in  trust  for  all  time  for  the  Baptist  people. 

The  Education  Board  placed  in  charge  of  the  work  Rev.  Albert 
R.  Bond,  D.  D.,  its  capable,  Editorial  Secretary.  He  was 
during  his  administration,  both  General  Secretary  and  General  Man- 
ager. The  Education  Board  did  not  see  its  way  clear  to  go  into 
the  work  of  any  extended  development  of  the  grounds  at  that  time 
A  number  of  improvements  were  made,  however,  but  further  money 
was  not  available.  When  Rev.  J.  W.  Cammack,  D.  D.,  became 
Corresponding  Secretary,  of  the  Education  Board,  and  General  Sec- 
retary of  the  Assembly,  with  Rev.  R.  F.  Staples,  as  Business  Man- 
ager, new  interest  was  taken  in  the  work  of  development. 

When  the  Education  Board  took  over  the  property  the  two  funds 
administered  by  the  General  Secretary  and  by  the  General  Manager 
were  merged.  The  earnings  of  the  hotel  were  to  pay  all  of  the  ex- 
penses of  the  program;  and  if  this  source  of  revenue  failed  the  ad- 
ditional amount  was  to  come  out  of  the  allocation  made  to  the  As- 


6 


sembly  from  the  Board.  Added  to  this  was  a  freewill  offering  taken 
on  Sundays. 

The  financial  reports  of  the  Education  Board  are  not  always  clear 
to  the  average  layman  not  accustomed  to  the  phrasiology  of  the  ac- 
countant but  it  appears  that  when  the  Board  took  over  the  property 
there  was  a  debt,  mostly  miscellaneous  accounts,  amounting  to 
$9,071.86.  When  the  period  for  the  Baptist  75-Million  Campaign 
closed  the  records  show  that  this  amount  had  been  paid  and  an  ad- 
ditional amount  invested  in  development  at  Ridgecrest  which  brought 
the  total  sum  put  in  the  property  up  to  $23,319.82;  which  was  less 
than  half  of  what  had  been  expected  from  the  Campaign. 

Then  came  a  new  day  with  new  men  at  the  helm,  a  new  arrange- 
ment with  a  large  bond  issue  just  ahead. 

WHAT  HAS  BEEN  ACCOMPLISHED 

A  look  at  the  material  side.  In  1907  when  the  organizing  com- 
mittee decided  to  launch  into  this  venture  for  Southern  Baptists  we 
bought  850  acres  of  land  on  borrowed  money,  faith  in  God  and  in 
our  Baptist  people.  What  we  bought  was  a  wilderness  with  a  few 
deserted  cabins,  a  railway  track  through  and  under  the  grounds,  no 
railway  station,  a  trail  through  Swannanoa  gap  leading  down  the 
mountains  to  the  east — a  trail  which  in  rain  or  snow  turned  to  mud. 

Now  we  have  the  same  wild  things — more  than  four  hundred 
flowering  plants,  wild  fruits  and  nuts,  the  same  sparkling  springs 
and  clear  streams  which  sing  as  they  flow  toward  the  sea,  the  same 
cool,  restful,  shady  nooks,  the  same  balmy  air;  the  same  lofty  moun- 
tain peaks,  the  highest  east  of  the  Rockies.  It  was  God's  unspoiled 
wild  woods;  and  it  is  that  to  this  day. 

But  Baptist  men  and  Baptist  money  have  touched  this  mountain 
top.    Now  we  have  here: 

1.  About  ninety  privately  owned  cottages  housing  each  summer 
first  and  last  more  than  a  thousand  visitors.  With  an  assurance 
of  permanency  such  as  the  Executive  Committee  can  give,  and  with 
the  right  kind  of  co-operation  which  the  present  management  stands 
ready  to  render,  we  can  soon  have  twice  that  many. 

2.  There  are  some  two  hundred  lots  owned  by  individuals  on 
which  no  residences  have  been  built.  The  people  who  bought  these 
lots  did  not  do  so  for  the  purpose  of  speculation  in  real  estate.  Any 
lot  in  the  suburbs  of  any  town  would  have  been  a  better  investment. 
Let  us  give  assurance  of  permanency  and  encourage  these  people  to 
build. 

3.  The  Central  Highway,  N.  C.  No.  10,  extends  through  the 
grounds  east  and  west  making  transportation  easy.  Over  this  hard- 
surfaced  highway  fourteen  busses  pass  each  day  and  privately  owned 
automobiles  which  no  man  can  number. 

4.  A  railway  station  was  erected  in  the  early  days,  the  name  of 
the  stop  first  being  Terrell,  later  changed  to  Blue  Mont,  and  still 
later  to  Ridgecrest.  Seven  through  trains,  some  of  them  carrying 
Pullman  sleeping  cars  between  Asheville  and  New  York,  make  the 


7 


stop  at  our  station,  which  is  located  not  many  feet  from  the  center 
of  the  Assembly  grounds. 

5.  A  post  office,  telegraph,  telephone  (both  local  and  long  distance) 
and  express  office  have  all  been  provided. 

6.  Several  privately  owned  stores  and  a  garage  have  been  pro- 
vided for  the  grounds. 

7.  Pritchelle  Hall,  consisting  of  the  main  hotel  building,  four 
stories  high,  and  having  90  bed  rooms;  and  an  annex  with  17  bed 
rooms,  all  with  private  bath,  is  owned  and  operated  by  the  Assembly. 

8.  Seven  cottages  are  owned  by  the  Assembly,  five  of  them  used  as 
a  part  of  the  hotel  outfit;  these  five  cottages  being  provided  with 
water  and  electric  lights  and  completely  furnished  for  housekeeping. 

9.  A  building  which  provides  a  cafeteria  on  the  lower  floor,  owned 
and  operated  by  the  Assembly;  the  second  story  is  a  dormitory  for 
students  who  take  courses  in  the  Summer  School  of  Theology. 

10.  A  large  building  having  on  the  first  floor  a  dining  room  in 
which  may  be  seated  300  people;  at  the  front  of  this  building  is  a 
hall  which  seats  200  people.  The  second  story,  which  is  on  a  level 
with  the  main  floor  of  Pritchelle  Hall,  and  connected  with  it  by  an 
arcade  provides  an  auditorium,  some  small  class  rooms  and  sleeping 
quarters  in  the  rear. 

11.  Swanannoa  Camp,  while  not  a  part  of  the  Assembly  property 
is  the  property  of  the  Education  Board,  and  now  passes  into  the 
hands  of  the  Executive  Committee  of  the  Southern  Baptist  Conven- 
tion. It  is  located  on  the  site  of  the  first  open  air  auditorium,  near 
the  center  of  the  Assembly  ground.  The  equipment  consists  of  the 
main  dormitory  two  stories  high  and  having  nine  rooms,  an  ample 
two  story  porch  extending  along  two  sides  of  the  building;  seven 
huts  equipped  to  care  for  100  girls;  Fidelis  Hall,  housing  the  so- 
cial hall ;  the  dining  room,  kitchen  and  sleeping  rooms  for  some  of  the 
help.    A  swimming  pool  is  also  a  feature  of  the  camp. 

12.  Two  lakes,  a  small  one  near  Pritchelle  Hall  and  a  large  one 
near  Camp  Swannanoa,  afford  an  endess  delight  to  those  who  wish 
a  dip  in  the  clear  cold  water  from  the  mountain  springs;  or  who 
wish  to  go  for  a  boat  ride. 

13.  Electric  lights  are  provided  for  all  of  the  Assembly  buildings 
and  are  available  for  all  of  the  cottages. 

14.  Wtaer  works  furnished  with  water  from  clear,  pure,  mountain 
springs  brings  another  city  convenience  in  the  midst  of  the  wilds  of 
nature.  The  Buncombe  county  sewerage  system  provides  pipes  from 
Ridgecrest  to  Asheville,  caring  for  the  needs  of  all  of  the  Black 
Mountain  valley. 

15.  The  equipment  provided  by  the  Assembly  in  addition  to  the 
buildings  is  conservatively  estimated  to  be  valued  at  about  $60,000. 

16.  The  total  property  value  of  the  Assembly,  not  counting  any 
privately  owned  lots  or  cottages,  as  printed  in  the  annual  report  of 


8 


the  Education  Board  to  the  Southern  Baptist  Convention  in  May, 
1928,  is  as  follows: 


This  gives  some  small  estimate  of  what  has  been  accomplished 
these  twenty-one  years  on  the  material  side.  It  was  in  1908  that 
the  first  road  construction  began;  it  was  that  same  summer  that  the 
first  building  was  erected.  Estimating  a  growth  of  twenty  years 
we  have  had  an  average  net  gain  in  property  value  of  $30,000 
annually.  If  the  Executive  Committee  of  the  Southern  Baptist 
Convention  gives  encouragement  to  this  movement  we  shall  have 
here  on  this  mountain  top  in  twenty  more  years  an  Assembly  ground 
of  which  every  Baptist  in  all  the  land  will  be  justly  thankful  to  God. 


Speaking  of  what  has  been  accomplished,  the  things  which  have 
been  done  at  Ridgecrest  which  are  most  worth  while  can  never  be 
registered  with  a  camera  nor  recorded  on  a  ledger.  "The  things 
which  are  seen  are  temporal;  but  the  things  which  are  unseen  are 
eternal."  A  terrific  hurricane  destroyed  our  first  auditorium;  the 
most  awful  down  pour  of  rain  which  destroyed  millions  of  dollars 
worth  of  property  in  1916  threatened  to  put  us  out  of  business;  a 
law  suit  to  get  the  property  from  us  was  fought  in  the  courts  for  two 
years;  some  of  our  creditors  made  dire  threats  of  vengence  on  us 
from  1915  to  1918;  a  gang  of  reactionaries  continue  to  cast  false  and 
insinuating  missiles  from  their  pop  guns;  a  few  able,  Godly,  for- 
ward looking  brethren  seriously  advocate  throwing  this  property  on 
the  junk  heap  by  a  forced  sale.  If  for  any  reason  Ridgecrest  as  a 
place  should  be  blotted  off  the  map  the  things  which  have  been 
accomplished  here  will  live  forever. 

The  inspiration  to  individual  lives  through  the  years,  the  throb 
of  new  life  which  has  been  carried  back  to  the  churches,  the  young 
lives  which  have  been  laid  on  the  altar  of  God  here  in  these  grounds 
can  never  be  sold  by  order  of  the  sheriff  or  any  committee.  Two 
cases  among  the  many  will  be  cited.  When  the  first  bush  was  cut 
on  the  grounds  in  June,  1908,  to  begin  the  improvements  two  boys 
were  standing  by — the  one  the  son  of  the  first  General  Manager 
when  that  position  was  separated  from  the  office  of  General  Secre- 
tary, and  the  other  the  son  of  the  first  President. 

Paul  Hon  and  Powell  Tucker  grew  up  with  the  development  of 
the  grounds.  They  were  comrades  and  warm  friends  in  all  of  the 
earlier  days. 

Young  Hon,  educated  in  Stetson  University,  DeLand,  Fla.,  was 
a  recognized  leader  among  the  young  people  on  these  grounds  from 
the  summer  of  1908  until  he  went  away  at  his  country's  call  and 


Land  

Buildings 
Equipment 


$402,550.00 
145,500.00 
57,366.84 


$605,416.84 


THOSE  VALUES  ETERNAL 


9 


went  over  the  top  in  France  to  come  again  no  more.  So  fine  a  spirit 
he  was  and  such  an  influence  for  good  that  a  large  group  of  the 
friends  at  Ridgecrest  met  in  Fidelis  Hall  (the  only  auditorium  we 
had)  on  Sunday,  August  11,  1918,  and  paid  tribute  to  his  memory. 
We  unfurled  for  him  the  service  flag  of  his  country  with  the  gold 
star  in  the  center.  He  lives  on  in  the  memory  of  those  whose  lives 
he  touched  while  here.  We  may  sell  the  land  but  we  cannot  sell 
what  Paul  Hon  did,  and  is  doing  for  the  ongoing  of  the  kingdom,  as 
his  works  live  on. 

The  other  young  man,  J.  Powell  Tucker,  also  grew  with  the 
growth  of  the  Assembly.  He  called  together  the  young  men  and 
women  of  North  Carolina  in  the  grounds  here  and  on  these  grounds 
they  called  for  the  organization  of  the  State  Baptist  Young  Peoples* 
Union  of  North  Carolina.  He  called  the  first  meeting  of  the  con- 
ventions, several  months  later  at  Second  Baptist  church,  (now  Tem- 
ple) Durham,  and  was  elected  its  first  president. 

He  entered  Wake  Forest  College  and  was  graduated  with  honor. 
He  studied  law  there.  His  father  was  one  of  the  foremost  lawyers 
in  all  the  land.  Young  Tucker  decided  to  continue  his  studies  of 
law  and  marked  out  a  career  with  his  father  in  Asheville,  the  moun- 
tain metropolis  of  eastern  America.  He  went  to  Yale  and  made 
good. 

Returning  to  Ridgecrest  where  he  had  spent  so  many  happy  days 
through  the  years,  he  led  a  conference  of  young  people;  the  group 
representing  some  thirty  or  more  educational  institutions.  One  night 
young  Tucker  was  to  speak  on  the  subject  "Camping  by  the  Cross." 
That  day  he  spent  in  a  quiet  hidden  recess  in  the  mountains  in  com- 
munion with  God.  It  was  a  great  speech,  because  there  was  a 
great  heart  of  a  fine  young  man  behind  it.  At  its  close  he  quietly 
said  goodbye  to  his  class  rooms  at  Yale,  bade  his  law  books  farewell, 
and  laid  himself  on  God's  altar.  More  than  thirty  young  people 
joined  him  at  the  front  that  night,  many  of  them  rendering  valiant 
service  for  God  to  the  ends  of  the  earth,  some  of  them  in  foreign 
lands.   He  is  now  pastor  of  the  First  Baptist  Church,  Raleigh,  N.  C. 

Paul  Hon  on  the  other  side,  Powell  Tucker  on  this  side  both 
carrying  on  for  God  in  God's  own  way  are)  but  two  out  of  a  list  whom 
no  man  can  number  who  have  received  on  these  grounds  help  to 
move  onward  and  upward  in  the  Christian  life.  We  may  have  to 
sell  our  buildings  and  grounds ;  that  matter  is  no  longer  in  the  hands 
of  this  group  of  minority  stockholders  to  whom  I  speak,  primarily. 
But  there  has  never  been  an  adding  machine  invented  that  can  add 
up  the  worth  to  the  world  of  the  lives  of  Paul  Hon  and  Powell 
Tucker  and  many  others  like  them.    That  cannot  be  sold. 

ACCOUNTING  RESULTS 

Now  I  list  as  briefly  as  I  may  some  of  the  invisible  results  which 
have  come  from  the  work  here.  Would  that  time  and  space  per- 
mitted a  brief  story  of  each  of  these. 


10 


1.  The  local  Baptist  church.  Its  story  reads  like  a  romance. 
On  their  knees  more  than  ten  years  ago  they  prayed  each  week  for 
Ridgecrest  and  God  saved  it  from  utter  financial  ruin. 

2.  Twenty  annual  sessions  of  the  Assembly  are  behind  us. 

3.  Men,  among  the  foremost  in  the  world,  have  spoken  to  people 
from  everywhere  during  these  years. 

4.  It  has  been  a  mecca  for  returned  missionaries  from  many  lands. 
The  fact  of  their  presence  at  Ridgecrest  brings  a  blessing  and  their 
messages  each  year  have  added  much  to  the  interest  in  missions.  A 
number  of  foreign  missionaries  own  lots  in  the  grounds.  The  Foreign 
Mission  Board  owns  a  lot  on  which  one  day  a  home  for  returned 
missionaries  is  expected  to  be  erected. 

5.  School  men  from  mountains  and  plains  have  met  time  and 
again  to  discuss  their  problems  of  Christian  Education.  Ten  col- 
leges own  lots  in  the  grounds. 

6.  The  Royal  Ambassadors'  Camp  has  had  several  summer  out- 
ings greatly  to  their  joy  and  profit. 

7.  The  Young  Womens'  Auxiliary  holds  its  annual  Conference 
here,  in  which  young  women  who  love  Christ  come  and  touch  elbows 
with  their  fellows  from  other  states,  securing  inspiration  to  go  home 
and  become  better  workers  for  the  kingdom. 

8.  The  Woman's  Missionary  Union  of  the  South  has  held  a  sum- 
mer conference  here  a  number  of  times. 

9.  The  Baptist  Brotherhood  of  the  South  has  from  time  to  time 
called  the  leaders  from  many  states  and  under  their  matchless  leader, 
Dr.  J.  T.  Henderson,  they  have  studied  the  problems  of  the  work 
both  at  home  and  abroad. 

10.  Students  and  leaders  in  student  work  have  here  year  by  year 
conferred  with  their  leaders  Frank  H.  Leavell,  and  W.  H. 
Preston. 

11.  Social  Service  Workers  have  from  time  to  time  met  to  dis- 
cuss their  problems. 

12.  The  Editors  of  Southern  Baptist  papers  have  been  in  Ridge- 
crest in  annual  summer  conference. 

13.  The  leaders  in  Sunday  School  work  in  the  South  have  met  here 
time  and  again. 

14.  The  leaders  of  Baptist  Young  People's  work  come  for  con- 
ference. 

15.  The  School  of  Religious  Education.  From  the  first  year  of 
operations,  emphasis  has  been  placed  on  the  instruction  given  in 
classes.  This  is  done  in  connection  with  the  various  conferences  and 
often  independently.  This  can  be  made  a  mighty  power  once  we 
become  settled  in  our  policies. 

16.  The  Summer  School  of  Theology  has  been  a  feature  with 
varying  fortune  since  the  summer  of  1916. 

WHAT  OF  TOMORROW? 

The  question  naturally  arises,  will  there  be  any  tomorrow  with  a 
debt  hanging  over  the  property  of  the  Assembly  ?  Let  us  look  at  the 
debt  and  study  it  a  while. 


11 


First  of  all  the  amount  of  the  debt.  It  would  seem  from  the  re- 
ports of  the  Education  Board  that  the  total  amount  of  the  bonded  in- 
debtedness against  the  property  is  $345,000.  Of  this  amount  bor- 
rowed only  about  $145,000  was  expended  in  improvements  at  Ridge- 
crest.  In  the  report  of  the  Education  Board  mention  is  made  of 
certain  notes  made  for  funds  for  improvements  not  included  in  the 
bonded  indebtedness  which  amount  to  $27,378.72.  Of  course  no 
one  would  for  a  moment  consider  the  $200,000  spent  elsewhere  a 
debt  against  the  Assembly.  If  we  take  the  bonded  indebtedness  and 
add  the  notes  we  have  a  total  of  $172,378.72  as  the  maximum 
amount  which  is  represented  by  improvements  at  Ridgecrest. 

Whose  obligation  is  this,  whose  debt?  Even  at  the  risk  of  re- 
peating briefly  what  has  been  said  let  me  state: 

1.  The  stockholders  and  their  friends  bought  the  land  at  Ridge- 
crest and  developed  it  to  the  value  represented  when  it  was  trans- 
ferred to  the  Southern  Baptist  Convention.  It  was  a  well  established 
institution  practically  free  from  debt,  with  subscriptions  enough 
easily  to  clear  all  of  the  debt  and  put  the  Assembly  on  its  feet.  It 
was  taking  care  of  its  operation  without  drawing  on  any  denomina- 
tional treasury  for  a  cent. 

2.  A  majority  of  stock  in  the  corporation,  with  the  Education 
Board  holding  the  controlling  interest  for  the  Convention,  was  given 
to  the  Southern  Baptist  Convention. 

3.  All  lands,  buildings,  equipment,  cash  and  good  will  of  the 
Assembly  were  deeded  and  given  to  the  Education  Board  of  the 
Southern  Baptist  Convention. 

4.  Subscriptions  to  the  funds  of  the  Assembly  amounting  to  some 
$40,000  were  canceled  and  all  appeals  for  funds  ceased  with  the 
inauguration  of  the  Baptist  75-Million  Campaign. 

5.  In  lieu  of  this  the  Southern  Baptist  Assembly  was  to  receive 
$10,000  per  year,  or  $50,000  for  the  five  year  period  of  the  Cam- 
paign, if  all  of  the  money  subscribed  amounted  to  the  seventy-five 
millions.  At  any  rate  it  was  to  have  \%%  oi  the  amount  allocated 
to  the  Education  Board.  It  is  of  record  that  the  actual  amount  re- 
ceived by  Ridgecrest  during  the  five  year  period  was  $23,319.82.  To 
May,  1925,  it  had  received  $34,482.97. 

6.  At  the  close  of  the  Baptist  75-Million  Campaign,  and  with 
the  beginning  of  a  new  campaign  the  Education  Board  brought  to 
the  Southern  Baptist  Convention  in  its  meeting  in  May,  1925,  a 
proposition  to  provide  for  a  real  development  of  the  property  at 
Ridgecrest,  proposing  a  bond  issue  of  "approximately  $300,000." 
(See  page  434  Convention  Annual.)  The  committee  appointed  by 
the  Convention  to  consider  and  report  on  the  report  of  the  Educa- 
tion Board  reported  its  approval  of  the  bond  issue  and  both  the  re- 
port of  the  committee  and  the  report  of  the  Education  Board  were 
unanimously  adopted  by  the  Convention.  The  bond  issue  was  voted 
"in  order  that  the  money  may  be  made  available  at  once  for  a  real 
development."  (Quoted  from  the  Report  of  the  Education  Board, 
page  434.) 


12 


Under  this  explicit  instruction  from  the  Convention  the  Education 
Board  issued  bonds  to  the  amount  of  $345,000,  of  which  $150,000 
was  used  to  retire  previously  issued  bonds  and  $145,000  was  spent 
in  developing  Ridgecrest.  The  original  intent  of  the  motion  was  to 
expend  $300,000  in  this  new  development,  but  pressing  needs  at 
other  points  made  the  Board  cut  down  its  original  figure  for  Ridge- 
crest to  less  than  half. 

7.  The  Convention  of  1926  instructed  all  of  its  Board  "to  proceed 
immediately  with  arrangements  for  carrying  their  debts  over  a  reas- 
onable period."  In  the  report  of  the  committee  to  consider  the  re- 
port of  the  Education  Board  it  is  stated,  "We  call  special  attention 
to  the  Ridgecrest  Assembly — which  the  Board  is  conducting  greatly 
to  the  advantage  of  our  people." 

8.  I  would  now  call  to  the  attention  of  the  group  of  stockholders 
here  assembled  the  action  taken  by  the  Southern  Baptist  Convention 
in  its  session  of  1927  at  Louisville,  Ky.  The  committee  to  report 
on  the  Report  of  the  Board  of  Education  brought  in  its  report  to 
the  Convention  in  which  this  language  is  used: 

"We  respectfully  call  the  Convention's  attention  to  both  its  moral 
and  legal  obligation  which  was  assumed  last  year  when  it  instructed 
the  Education  Board  to  bond  its  indebtedness  (see  page  48  of  the 
Annual),  and  expressed  the  purpose  of  increasing  the  percentage  of 
allocation  to  the  Education  Board  in  order  to  provide  funds  for  the 
retirement  of  the  bonds.  The  bonding  of  the  indebtedness  has  been 
accomplished,  and  the  bonds  have  been  placed  with  the  'Real  Estate 
Mortgage  Trust  Company'  of  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  said  company  accept- 
ing the  same  on  their  faith  in  this  action  of  the  Convention.  This, 
as  we  understand  it  is  both  a  moral  and  a  legal  obligation  which  the 
Convention  voluntarily  imposed  on  itself  when  it  adopted  the  report 
of  the  'Commission  on  Co-operative  Program'  last  year."  (Conven- 
tion Annual  Page  92.) 

This  report  made  by  a  committee  from  seven  states  was  unanimous- 
ly adopted  by  the  Convention. 

9.  The  Convention  in  Chattanooga  in  May  of  this  year  (1928) 
reaffirmed  its  action  of  1927.  In  the  report  of  the  Education  Board 
this  language  is  used  in  addition  to  quoting  the  action  of  1927: 

"It  is  agreed  by  all  who  have  considered  the  matter,  that  the 
Southern  Baptist  Convention  is  morally  obligated  to  pay  the  bonds 
of  the  Education  Board  issued  by  the  Real  Estate  Mortgage  Trust 
Company  of  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  amounting  to  $345,000." 

"The  Southern  Baptist  Convention  has  officially  stated  that  the 
debt  of  the  Education  Board  is  a  legal  obligation  which  the  Conven- 
tion has  voluntarily  imposed  upon  itself.  Language  cannot  be 
clearer." 

"The  Southern  Baptist  Assembly  was  able  to  operate  until  the 
first  of  September  without  loss.  The  full  statement  of  the  finances 
of  the  Assembly  is  given  in  the  financial  tables."  (Convention  An- 
nual, Pages  379,  381,  382.) 

When  the  Convention  in  Chattanooga  voted  to  abolish  the  Edu- 
cation Board  the  following  resolution  was  adopted: 


13 


"2.  That  the  Executive  Committee  of  this  Convention  be  recog- 
nized as  the  successor  in  law  to  the  Board  of  Education,  and  that  all 
of  the  interests  and  obligations  of  the  Education  Board,  financial, 
legal  and  otherwise,  be  and  are  hereby  committed  to  the  Executive 
Committee  of  this  Convention."    (Convention  Annual,  page  55.) 

How  shall  the  debt  be  paid  ?  It  is  clearly  the  debt  of  the  Southern 
Baptist  Convention.  It  is  equally  clear  that  the  Convention  instruct- 
ed the  Executive  Committee  to  take  in  charge  this  obligation.  At 
the  same  time  it  made  provision  for  the  method  for  the  payment  of 
the  debt.  After  a  full  and  free  discussion  occupying  many  hours  and 
parts  of  two  days,  the  resolution  introduced  by  Rev.  Charles  E. 
Maddry,  D.  D.,  providing  for  the  abolition  of  the  Education  Board, 
was  adopted.  Section  2  of  the  resolution  is  quoted  above.  Section 
3  is  as  follows: 

"3.  That  the  percentages  now  received  by  the  Board  of  Educa- 
tion from  the  Co-operative  Program  be  given  to  the  Executive  Com- 
mittee, with  which  to  discharge  the  debts  and  obligations  of  the 
Board  of  Education."  Adopted  by  the  Convention  by  an  overwhelm- 
ing vote.    (Convention  Annual,  page  53.) 

In  view  of  this  perfectly  clear  statement  that  the  debt  is  the  debt 
of  the  Convention  and  that  the  Convention  has  provided  a  method 
for  paying  it,  it  would  seem  not  necessary  even  to  discuss  any  other 
course  of  action.  But  owing  to  the  fact  that  many  statements  are 
being  made  through  the  denominational  press  about  the  matter  I 
think  it  not  out  of  place  to  say  some  things  about  it. 

The  suggestion  has  been  made  that  the  property  be  given  back  to 
the  original  stockholders.  And  of  course  with  the  property  the  debt 
against  the  property — this  being  either  $145,000  or  $172,378.72  as 
the  case  may  be. 

There  are  136  stockholders.  Many  of  them  are  dead  and  the 
stock  still  stands  on  the  books  in  their  names. 

To  ask  this  small  group  to  assume  this  debt  would  be  unjust  to 
them.  During  the  early  years  they  held  the  property  in  trust  for  all 
of  the  Baptist  people.  To  ask  them  to  assume  this  debt  and  pay  it 
and  still  hold  the  property  in  trust  would  not  be  fair  to  them.  It 
is  in  no  sense  an  obligation  resting  on  them  more  than  on  any  other 
of  the  general  Southern  Baptist  Brotherhood,  since  neither  the  orig- 
inal stockholders,  nor  the  Board  of  Directors,  nor  any  individual 
stock  holders  were  in  any  way  consulted  about  making  the  debt. 
The  debt  was  ordered  by  the  Southern  Baptist  Convention ;  in  obedi- 
ence to  that  order  it  was  created  by  its  agency,  the  Education  Board. 
The  mortgage  was  placed  on  land  owned  by  the  Southern  Baptist 
Convention.  Not  a  stockholder  owned  any  of  the  land  on  which 
the  mortgage  was  placed. 

Since  the  change  in  our  plan  of  collecting  funds  the  stockholders 
are  not  able  to  go  afield  to  the  churches.  It  would  violate  the  agree- 
ment into  which  Southern  Baptists  have  entered.  The  churches 
would  not  open  their  doors  for  such  an  appeal. 

If  the  Executive  Committee  has  in  mind  to  ask  the  small  group 
of  original  stockholders  at  Ridgecrest  to  take  care  of  a  debt  which 


14 


the  Board  incurred  in  developing  Ridgecrest  I  wonder  if  the  Com- 
mittee also  has  in  mind  to  pass  the  debts  to  the  other  institutions 
which  have  been  helped  by  the  Board  under  the  direction  of  the 
Convention.  Will  the  Negroes  be  asked  to  assume  $117,398.03 
which  has  been  put  in  their  seminary  in  Nashville  for  the  training 
of  Negro  preachers?  Will  New  Mexico  be  asked  to  take  care  of 
some  $100,000  put  in  Montezuma  College,  by  the  Convention?  Will 
Florida  be  asked  to  pay  the  debts  of  the  Convention  to  the  amount 
of  $40,777.37  placed  in  Stetson  University?  Will  Arkansas  pay  the 
debts  of  the  Convention  to  the  amount  of  $97,460.00  which  has 
been  invested  in  Ouchita  College?  How  about  the  sum  of  $97,221.49 
placed  in  Louisiana  College — shall  Louisiana  be  asked  to  take  that 
much  of  the  Convention's  debts?  And  Ewing  College,  Illinois,  has 
had  $48,288.11 — will  Illinois  be  expected  to  pay  that  much  of  the 
debt? 

But  suppose  the  original  stockholders  take  over  the  property  as 
a  private  investment  and  make  money  out  of  it  if  they  can.  Then 
we  are  handing  to  a  small  group  of  Baptists  a  property  into  which 
other  people  have  placed  thousands  of  dollars.  Is  the  Executive 
Committee  willing  to  hand  to  a  small  group  of  brethren  scattered 
through  fifteen  states  $20,000  which  the  North  Carolina  Baptists 
Convention  placed  in  Ridgecrest,  to  say  nothing  of  the  thousands 
placed  in  it  by  other  people,  including  the  amount  paid  by  the  South- 
ern Baptist  Convention  through  its  Co-operative  Program? 

The  suggestion  has  been  seriously  made  to  put  up  the  property 
at  a  forced  sale  and  get  rid  of  it  that  way.  Hundreds  of  people 
have  bought  property  in  the  grounds  because  it  was  a  Baptist  As- 
sembly ground — many  of  them  have  built  summer  homes  here,  an 
investment  representing  many  thousands  of  dollars.  The  original 
stock  company  invested  largely  in  developing  the  grounds  and  kept 
faith  with  these  people.  As  an  Assembly  ground  it  was  given  to  the 
Southern  Baptist  Convention  to  be  held  in  trust  for  such  use.  The 
Convention  faces  a  moral  obligation  in  this  matter  which  is  more 
binding  than  any  legal  paper  ever  signed  by  its  officers.  To  sell 
the  property  at  a  sacrifice  and  thus  ruin  an  investment  which  has 
required  twenty-one  years  to  build,  to  pay  a  debt  which  the  Conven- 
tion ordered  created  and  which  the  Convention  has  repeatedly  voted 
was  both  a  moral  and  a  legal  obligation  to  pay  is  a  kind  of  ethics 
with  which  Baptist  people  are  not  familiar. 

Were  the  Assembly  a  losing  proposition  and  a  place  in  which 
we  must  needs  sink  a  large  sum  of  money  each  year  there  might  be 
some  possible  justification  for  such  a  course.  But  the  Assembly  is 
not  a  losing  proposition.  It  costs  a  very  small  sum  to  operate  the 
Assembly  for  seventy  days  during  the  summer.  That  cost  is  paid 
largely  by  the  Assembly  hotel,  a  condition  which  we  should  speedily 
remedy. 

It  will  be  no  hardship  for  the  people  of  the  Southern  Baptist 
Convention  to  pay  this  debt.  The  allocation  for  the  Education 
Board,  which  is  now  to  be  placed  in  the  hands  of  the  Executive 
Committee  even  if  it  remains  at  the  same  figure  which  it  reached 


15 


at  the  close  of  the  recent  Convention  year  would  retire  all  of  the 
debts  of  the  Education  Board  of  every  character  in  a  comparatively 
short  time. 

If  Southern  Baptists  should  take  it  seriously  and  decide  to  pay 
the  debt  of  the  Education  Board  for  improvements  at  Ridgecrest  it 
would  require  just  two  2  cent  stamps  each  to  pay  it  all.  Or.  if  it 
be  the  larger  amount  of  more  than  one  hundred  and  seventy  two 
thousand  then  it  would  require  one  5  cent  stamp  each  to  pay  it. 

STILL  LOOKING  AHEAD 

What  of  the  future  ?  Judging  from  the  past  the  friends  who  come 
to  Ridgecrest  each  summer  will  gladly  pay  for  the  summer  program 
and  provide  an  adequate  endowment  if  they  have  an  assurance  that 
Ridgecrest  is  to  be  given  encouragement  to  go  on  its  way  without 
being  held  in  suspense  year  by  year. 

Before  we  shall  be  able  to  secure  any  new  cottages,  or  any  larger 
sums  from  private  individuals  for  improvement  or  for  endowment, 
we  must  have  confidence  restored. 

I  make  this  most  earnest  plea  to  the  Executive  Committee  of  the 
Southern  Baptist  Convention  not  to  sacrifice  this  splendid  kingdom 
asset  here  on  this  mountain  top  upon  the  altar  of  the  God  of  Grumb- 
ling Discontent  in  order  that  we  may  save  a  few  dollars  to  keep 
in  our  pockets  or  to  spend  for  the  things  which  perish  with  the  us- 
ing. Pool  this  debt  with  all  of  our  other  obligations;  give  assurance 
that  the  work  at  Ridgecrest  shall  be  permanent.  We  can  operate 
the  summer  program  without  calling  on  the  Co-operative  treasury 
for  funds. 

Let  us  turn  all  of  the  stock  over  to  the  Southern  Baptist  Con- 
vention. Place  the  affairs  of  Ridgecrest  in  the  hands  of  a  sympathetic 
agency  selected  either  by  the  Executive  Committee  or  directly  by  the 
Southern  Baptist  Convention.  Let  it  be  known  that  the  Convention 
wants  the  property  developed.  Its  friends  scattered  throughout  the 
world,  when  assured  that  such  is  the  program,  will  come  to  the  help 
of  the  Assembly  and  in  a  few  years  we  shall  develop  here  an  assembly 
ground  for  which  every  Baptist  will  be  justly  and  humbly  grateful 
to  God.    It  will  be  well  equipped  and  well  endowed. 

There  are  three  lines  of  work  which  lie  ahead  of  us  which  can  be 
developed  rapidly  once  we  get  on  the  main  line: 

The  colony  should  be  enlarged.  New  cottages  will  be  built  when 
we  are  ready  to  co-operate  with  the  lot  owners.  We  should  encour- 
age private  boarding  places  and  help  to  fill  them  with  summer  guests 
in  sympathy  with  the  things  for  which  we  stand.  Ridgecrest  should 
be  the  summer  capitol  for  much  of  our  denominational  work.  The 
Foreign  Mission  Board,  the  Home  Mission  Board,  the  Relief  and 
Annuity  Board  and  the  W.  M.  U.  could  easily  have  summer  of- 
fices here. 

The  conferences  should  be  developed  to  a  higher  degree  of  effi- 
ciency and  have  a  wider  representation.  This  can  be.  done  when  we 
become  stabilized.    Ridgecrest  should  continue  to  be  the  summer 


16 


conference  center  for  Southern  Baptist  leaders  in  journalism,  social 
service,  missions,  Sunday  school  and  B.  Y.  P.  U.  work,  education, 
music,  religious  education  and  church  efficiency. 

The  schools,  including  the  School  of  Religious  Education  and 
the  Summer  School  of  Theology  should  be  strengthened  and  placed 
on  a  permanent  basis. 

The  Summer  School  of  Theology  born  in  the  brain  of  that  scholar- 
ly friend  of  humanity,  Rev.  B.  H.  DeMent,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.,  former 
President  of  the  Baptist  Bible  Institute,  has  struggled  along  since 
1916.  It  has  done  some  good,  but  nowhere  in  sight  of  the  good 
which  it  could  have  done  had  we  been  able  to  bring  the  students 
here.  The  scholarly,  consecrated  men  who  have  taught  from  year  to 
year  have  done  good  work,  as  good  as  could  be  done  considering  the 
serious  handicaps  under  which  they  have  labored. 

The  reasons  for  the  small  attendance  are  not  hard  to  find.  First 
the  work  has  been  on  such  a  precarious  foundation  that  none  knew 
from  year  to  year  whether  we  were  to  have  the  school  until  far  in 
the  new  year — too  late  to  do  much  advertising. 

The  cost  of  board  has  been  a  barrier.  As  cheap  as  we  could  make 
it,  it  will  cost  a  student  about  one  hundred  dollars  to  take  the 
course  of  eight  weeks.  This  is  beyond  the  rate  at  other  places.  We 
can  remedy  that. 

Buildings  should  be  erected  to  care  for  this  school.  Interested 
friends  will  supply  this  need.  A  permanent  curriculum  should  be 
provided  so  that  a  student  will  know  what  he  can  take  in  two  or 
three  years,  and  shape  his  course  accordingly.  This  should  be  wid- 
ened as  the  years  go  and  the  funds  are  secured  for  the  purpose. 

Work  should  begin  not  later  than  September  to  secure  a  student 
body  for  the  next  summer.  The  classes  to  whom  we  should  appeal 
are,  (1)  students  in  the  seminaries  who  wish  to  complete  some  of 
the  work;  (2)  students  in  college  who  wish  to  complete  some  of  the 
seminary  work  before  entering  a  seminary;  (3)  ministers  who  have 
taken  a  partial  course  in  a  seminary  and  who  wish  to  make  up  the 
work  under  efficient  guidance  with  a  view  to  securing  a  degree;  (4) 
seminary  graduates,  or  former  students  who  wish  to  do  some  study- 
ing to  refresh  themselves;  (5)  men  and  women,  not  ministers,  who 
wish  some  high  grade  work  in  the  Bible  and  related  subjects. 

The  field  is  abundant.  Draw  a  circle  around  Ridgecrest  whose 
radius  shall  be  one  hundred  miles.  List  the  Baptist  District  associa- 
tions which  this  circle  intersects  and  the  associations  within  the  cir- 
cle; there  are  2,276  ordained  Baptist  preachers  in  these  associations. 
This  list  was  made  a  few  years  ago ;  but  the  number  has  not  changed 
much  since  then.  Within  this  same  circle  will  be  found  the  section 
of  country  perhaps  most  densely  populated  with  Baptists  of  any 
similar  area  on  the  earth. 


17 


A  FINAL  WORD 


A  great  future  awaits  if  we  may  have  the  opportunity  to  develop. 
The  two  funds  for  carrying  on  the  religious  and  educational  work, 
and  for  the  business  end  should  be  kept  separate.  The  Business 
Manager  should  be  given  freedom  to  operate  to  the  best  advantage 
with  adequate  help.  The  business  should  be  so  arranged  that  he 
could  be  at  liberty  to  see  men  of  large  means  to  secure  funds  for 
development. 

The  group  conferences  can  be  cared  for  by  the  people  who  take 
part  in  them.  The  public  offerings,  if  properly  stressed  will  care 
for  the  Bible  Conference.  The  Sunday  School  Board  in  the  earlier 
days,  by  furnishing  its  own  workers,  provided  a  School  of  Religious 
Education  at  very  slightest  cost  above  its  regular  expenditures  for 
the  salaries  of  the  men  and  women. 

We  should  begin  at  once  a  quiet  campaign  for  an  adequate  en- 
dowment. There  need  be  no  appeal  to  the  churches,  nor  will  there 
be.  There  is  a  plan  by  which  we  may  secure  funds  without  going 
to  the  churches.  This  plan  contemplates  two  items:  (1)  to  secure 
offerings  both  by' public  and  private  appeal  from  persons  attending 
the  sessions  of  the  Assembly;  (2)  to  revive  the  slumbering  "Ridge- 
crest  Improvement  Association"  organized  at  Ridgecrest  in  1926  and 
put  some  real  life  into  it. 

We  can  make  of  Ridgecrest  what  it  should  be;  let  us  all  get  be- 
hind it  and  make  it  go. 

B.  W.  Spilman, 
Kinston,  N.  C.  President. 
August  14,  1928. 


18 


THE  SEASON  OF  1928 


Southern  Baptist  Assembly — Ridgecrest,  North  Carolina 

June  15 — September  1 

Rev.  R.  F.  Staples,  Ridgecrest,  N.  C,  General  Manager 
Rev.  B.  W.  Spilman,  D.  D.,  Kinston,  N.  C,  Platform  Manager 
Rev.  C.  S.  Green,  Durham,  N.  C,  Associate  Platform  Manager 

SCHOOLS 

School  of  Religious  Education  June  15 — August  26 

Classes  in  religious  education  throughout  the  season  in  connection 
with  the  various  conferences 

School  of  Theology  July  2 — August  24- 

Fostered  by  the  assembly  under  the  auspices  of  the  four  Southern 
Baptist  seminaries,  and  offering  a  continuous  course  of  study  equiva- 
lent to  two  quarters  work  at  any  one  of  the  institutions,  with  full 
credit. 

Faculty: 

William  Wright  Barnes,  A.  M.,  Th.  D. 

Dean,  and  Professor  of  the  English  Old  Testament 
(Southwestern  Baptist  Theological  Seminary) 

Albert  Henry  Newman,  A.  M.,  D.  D.,  LL.  D. 
Professor  of  Church  History 

(Recently  of  Mercer  University,  now  of  McMaster  Uni- 
versity, Toronto). 

James  Edward  Gwatkin,  A.  B.,  Th.  D.,  D.  D. 

Professor  of  the  English  New  Testament 
(Baptist  Bible  Institute) 

Harold  Wayland  Tribble,  A.  M.,  Th.  D. 

Professor  of  Comparative  Religions  and  Biblical  Theology 
(Southern  Baptist  Theological  Seminary) 

Daily  Vacation  Bible  School  July  2-27 

— for  children  ages  5  to  17. 
Faculty: 

Miss  Miriam  Richardson,  Nashville,  Tenn. 

(South  Mountain  Institute,  Bostic,  N.  C.) 
Miss  Margaret  Jackson,  Washington,  Ga. 

(W.  M.  U.  Training  School,  Louisville,  Ky.) 
Mrs.  C.  S.  Green,  Durham,  N.  C. 

(Watts  Street  Baptist  Church,  Durham,  N.  C.) 
Miss  Mae  Henry  Ward,  Montrose,  Miss. 

(Clark  College,  Newton,  Miss.) 
Miss  Dorothy  Smith,  Greenville,  S.  C. 

(Greenville  Women's  College,  Greenville,  S.  C.) 

Swannanoa  Camp  for  Girls  July  5 — August  31 

Ages  10  to  20  years,  under  direction  Mrs.  J.  M.  Dawson,  Waco, 
Texas.  Has  its  separate  program  with  carefully  selected  leaders 
and  activities. 


19 


CONFERENCES 

June  15-22 — Y.  W.  A.  Director,  Miss  Juliette  Mather. 

June  15-22 — Royal  Ambassadors.    Director,  Wade  Bryant. 

June  24-30 — Student  Leadership.    Director,  Frank  H.  Leavell. 

June  27-29— Mountain  Schools.    Director,  Rev.  J.  W.  O'Hara,  D.  D. 

July  1-6 — Christian  Education.    Director,  Rev.  Rufus  W.  Weaver,  D.  D. 

July  8-11— Home  Missions.    Director,  Rev.  B.  D.  Gray,  D.  D.,  LL.  D. 

July  12-15 — Foreign  Missions.    Director,  Rev.  T.  B.  Ray,  D.  D. 

July  17-27 — North  Carolina  Summer  Assembly.    Director:    Perry  Morgan. 

July  31- August  3 — Social  Service.    Directors:    Rev.  W.  M.  Whiteside,  D.  D., 

Rev.  M.  L.  Kesler,  D.  D.,  Rev.  Thomas  J.  Watts,  D.  D. 
August  5-10 — Music.    Directors,  Miss  Mary  Ward,  E  O.  Sellars. 
August  12-26 — Bible.    Director,  Associate  Platform  Manager. 

PERSONNEL 

Among  those  who  have  appeared  on  the  Assembly  program  during  this 
season  are: 

Rev.  W.  E.  Allen,  missionary,  Rio  de  Janeiro,  Brazil. 
Mrs.  W.  E.  Allen,  missionary,  Rio  de  Janeiro,  Brazil. 

Rev.  W.  W.  Barnes,  D.  D.,  professor  Church  History,  Southwestern  Baptist 

Theological  Seminary,  Forth  Worth,  Texas. 
J.  N.  Barnette,  associate  secretary,  Sunday  School  Administration,  Baptist 

Sunday  School  Board,  Nashville,  Tenn. 
Rev.  R.  J.  Bateman,  D.  D.,  pastor,  First  Baptist  Church,  Asheville,  N.  C. 
Miss  Gladys  H.  Beck,  elementary  secretary,  North  Carolina  Sunday  Schools, 

Raleigh,  N.  C. 
W.  Furman  Betts,  evangelistic  singer,  Raleigh,  N.  C. 

Miss  Mary  Francis  Biggers,  field  worker,  North  Carolina,  B.  Y.  P.  U., 
Salisbury,  N.  C. 

Rev.  B.  A.  Bowers,  D.  D.,  pastor,  First  Baptist  Church,  Gastonia,  N.  C. 

Miss  Virginia  Branch,  instructor  in  piano,  (Meredith  College)  Enfield,  N.  C. 

Wade  Bryant,  educational  director,  First  Baptist  Church,  Roanoke,  Va. 

L.  H.  Campbell,  dean,  Campbell  College,  Buies'  Creek,  N.  C. 

W.  O.  Carver,  D.  D.,  professor  Comparative  Religions  and  Missions  Southern 
Baptist  Theological  Seminary,  Louisville,  Ky. 

Rev.  Austin  Crouch,  D.  D.,  executive  secretary,  S.  B.  C,  Executive  Com- 
mittee, Nashville,  Tenn. 

Mrs.  J.  M.  Dawson,  W.  M.  U.  field  worker  and  writer,  Waco,  Texas. 

Rev.  W.  R.  Dobyns,  D  D.,  pastor  South  Highlands  Presbyterian  Church, 
Birmingham,  Ala. 

Rev.  Charles  R.  Erdman,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.,professor  Practical  Theology,  Prince- 
ton, (N.  J.)  Theological  Seminary. 

Arthur  Flake,  secretary  Sunday  School  administration,  Baptist  Sunday 
School  Board,  Nashville,  Tenn 

Miss  Lillian  S.  Forbes,  elementary  secretary,  Baptist  Sunday  School  Board, 
Nashville,  Tenn. 

Rev.  L.  E.  M.  Freeman,  Th.  D.,  professor  of  Bible,  Meredith  College, 
Raleigh,  N.  C. 

Francis  P.  Gaines,  Ph.  D.,  Litt.  D.  president  Wake  Forest  (N.  C.)  College. 
Rev.  E.  W.  Gibbons,  D.  D.,  pastor  Abbey  Road  Baptist  Church,  London, 
England. 

S.  D.  Gordon,  publicist,  lecturer,  author,  New  York  City. 
Rev.  B.  D.  Gray,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.,  executive  secretary,  Home  Mission  Board, 
S  B.  C,  Atlanta,  Ga 


20 


Dr  George  Green,  missionary,  Ogbomoso,  Africa 

Rev.  Homer  L.  Grice,  D.  D.,  secretary  Daily  Vacation  Bible  Schools,  Bap- 
tist Sunday  School  Board,  Nashville,  Tenn. 

Rev.  J.  E.  Gwatkin,  Th.  D.,  professor  Biblical  Introduction,  Baptist  Bible 
Institute,  New  Orleans,  La. 

Mrs.  Edna  R.  Harris,  Corresponding  Secretary,  North  Carolina  W.  M.  U., 
Raleigh,  N.  C. 

Mrs.  R.  L.  Harris,  president  Tennessee  W.  M.  U.,  Knoxville,  Tenn. 

J.  T.  Henderson,  LL.  D.,  executive  secretary,  Baptist  Brotherhood,  S.  B.  C, 

Knoxville,  Tenn. 
J.  B.  Huff,  president  Wingate  Junior  College,  Wingate,  N.  C. 
James  A.  Ivey,  secretary  North  Carolina  B.  Y.  P.  U.,  Raleigh,  N.  C. 
Mrs.  James  A.  Ivey,  qualified  worker,  Baptist  Sunday  School  Board,  Raleigh, 

N.  C. 

Rev.  A.  T.  Jamison,  D.  D.,  superintendent  Connie  Maxwell  Orphanage, 
Greenwood,  S.  C. 

Miss  Dorothy  Kellam,  young  people's  leader,  North  Carolina,  W.  M.  U., 
Raleigh,  N.  C. 

Rev.  M.  L.  Kesler,  D.  D.,  general  manager  Thomasville  (N.  C.)  Baptist 
Orphanage. 

Miss  Leona  Lavender,  field  worker,  administration  department,  Baptist  Sun- 
day School  Board,  Nashville,  Tenn. 

Mrs.  Una  Roberts  Lawrence,  mission  study  editor,  Home  Mission  Board, 
S.  B.  C,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

Miss  Emma  Leachman,  field  worker,  Home  Mission  Board,  S.  B.  C,  At- 
lanta, Ga. 

Frank  H.  Leavell,  executive  secretary,  Inter-Board  Commission,  S.  B.  C, 

Memphis,  Tenn. 
Rev.  R.  G.  Lee,  pastor  First  Baptist  Church,  Memphis,  Tenn. 
Rev.  Charles  E.  Maddry,  D.  D.,  general  secretary,  North  Carolina  Baptist 

State  Convention,  Raleigh,  N.  C. 
Miss  Rose  Marlowe,  missionary,  Shanghai,  China. 

Miss  Juliette  Mather,  young  people's  secretary,  W.  M.  U.  Auxiliary,  S.  B. 

C,  Birmingham,  Ala. 
Miss  Gertrude  Mattison,  field  worker,  North  Carolina  W.  M.  U.,  Raleigh, 

N.  C. 

Rev.  N.  M.  McCall,  superintendent  Cuban  Missions,  Home  Mission  Board, 

S.  B.  C,  Havana,  Cuba. 
Rev.  C.  G.  McDaniel,  D.  D.,  Yates  Academy,  Soo  Chow,  China. 
Dr.  C.  L.  McGinty,  professor  Old  and  New  Testament,  W.  M.  U.  Training 

School,  Louisville,  Ky. 
Perry  Morgan,  secretary  training  activities,  North  Carolina  Baptist  State 

Convention,  Raleigh,  N.  C. 
Rev.  A.  H.  Newman,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.,  professor  of  Church  History,  McMaster 

University,  Toronto,  Canada. 
Rev.  J.  W  O'Hara,  D.  D.,  superintendent  Mountain  Schools,  Home  Mission 

Board,  S.  B.  C,  Atlanta,  Ga. 
Rev.  L.  Bunn  Olive,  missionary,  Chinkiang,  China. 

William  H.  Preston,  associate  executive  secretary,  Inter-Board  Commission, 

S.  B.  C,  Memphis,  Tenn. 
Rev.  J.  Franklin  Ray,  missionar3',  Hiroshima,  Japan. 

Rev.  T.  B.  Ray,  D.  D.,  associate  executive  secretary,  Foreign  Mission  Board, 
S.  B.  C,  Richmond,  Va. 


21 


Mrs.  R.  K.  Redwine,  field  secretary,  W.  M.  U.  Auxiliary,  S.  B.  C,  Marion, 
Ala. 

Miss  Hannah  Reynolds,  instructor  W.  M.  U.  Training  School,  Louisville, 
Ky. 

Miss  Winnie  Rickett,  North  Carolina  Junior-Intermediate  B.  Y.  P.  U. 
leader,  Raleigh,  N.  C. 

Miss  Cornelia  Rollow,  young  people's  field  worker  for  Tennessee,  Nash- 
ville, Tenn. 

Miss  Naomi  Schell,  missionary,  Kokura,  Japan. 

Robert  Little  Saw  (Sakurukitipuski),  special  worker,  Home  Mission 
Board,  S.  B.  C,  Atlanta,  Ga. 

E.  O.  Sellars,  director  Music  Department,  Baptist  Bible  Institute,  New  Or- 
leans, La. 

Rev.  D.  F.  Stamps,  missionary,  Chinkiangm  China. 

Rev.  H.  W.  Tribble,  Th.  D.,  associate  professor  Systematic  Theology  South- 
ern Baptist  Theological  Seminary,  Louisville,  T£y. 

Rev.  George  W.  Truett,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.,  pastor  First  Baptist  Church,  Dallas, 
Texas,  and  president  of  the  Southern  Baptist  Convention. 

Rev.  J.  Powell  Tucker,  D.  D.,  pastor  First  Baptist  Church,  Raleigh,  N.  C. 

Miss  Mary  I.  Ward,  social  director,  New  York  City. 

Miss  Mary  Louise  Warren,  instructor  W.  M.  U.  Training  School,  Louisville, 
Ky. 

Rev.  Thomas  J.  Watts,  D.  D.,  executive  secretary,  Relief  and  Annuity 

Board,  S.  B.  C,  Dallas,  Texas. 
Rev.  Rufus  W.  Weaver,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.,  executive  secretary,  Education  Board, 

S.  B.  C,  Birmingham,  Ala. 
Rev.  John  E.  White,  D.  D.,  pastor  First  Baptist  Church,  Savannah,  Ga. 
Rev.  W.  M.  Whitesides,  superintendent  Baptist  Hospital  of  South  Carolina, 

Columbia,  S.  C. 

ATTENDANCE 

This  may  easily  be  referred  to  as  a  lean  year  in  the  attendance 
upon  all  assemblies,  if  reports  coming  from  these  are  to  be  accepted. 
But  the  attendance  at  Ridgecrest  has  been  exceedingly  pleasing.  Dur- 
ing the  ten  weeks  of  the  season,  there  have  been  1576  registered  at 
the  hotel,  with  more  than  1250  living  in  the  cottages  on  the  grounds. 
Attendance  at  the  various  services  has  been  increased  by  larger  num- 
bers than  ever  before  attending  from  nearby  assemblies  at  Montreat, 
Blue  Ridge,  Lake  Junaluska  and  other  nearby  cities  and  summer 
resorts.  During  the  first  week  of  the  Bible  Conference  the  total 
attendance  exceeded  7000.  These  figures  are  conservative,  and  rep- 
resent a  consistent  increase  in  the  annual  attendance  at  the  Southern 
Baptist  Assembly. 


22 


THE  NORTH  CAROLINA  COLLECTION 


Form  No.  A-368,  Rev.  8/95 


